Holy fruit n jam, Batman, this is one heck of a Zin! I enjoyed this with some co-workers and a pizza this week, and was just blown away by the intensity of it.
This is definitely a red wine you could happily sit and sip by itself - although it did go just fine with a pepperoni pizza. It was so rich and fruity that it almost crossed the line toward a late-picked intensity.
Picked this one up same-day at BevMo in Simi Valley - so it's definitely one you can buy now, and with this amount of fruit, and practically absent tannins, I don't think I'd put it away. And why would you? This is an amazing wine to drink TONIGHT.
(BTW - on June 12, I wrote up a '95 Larkmead Zin very favorably. This is actually the same winery and I believe the same winemaker, but the winery is under new ownership.)
Friday, June 30, 2006
Comments Problem
Hey fellow winos -
It's come to my attention that visitors have not been able to comment on posts in the blog for a while. Getting this fixed and contemplating a move to a different provider. Stay tuned as we overcome these technical difficulties.
Thanks for your patience!
It's come to my attention that visitors have not been able to comment on posts in the blog for a while. Getting this fixed and contemplating a move to a different provider. Stay tuned as we overcome these technical difficulties.
Thanks for your patience!
Friday, June 23, 2006
Banfi Sparkling Wine Tasting a Bust
This event was off to a bad start from the moment I walked in the door.
The marketing blurb about the event read as follows: "Join National Wine Educator Sharron McCarthy and Kirby's Chef Daniel Nemec as they show participants via taste bud explosion why bubbly and chocolate make the perfect pair."
This did not fully represent the experience we had, which included highlights such as:
- Sign in and get two drink tickets.
- Stand in line to choose between three sparkling wines from the same producer, poured by people with no time or inclination to explain about the wine or winery.
- Walk over to a table of cheese and truffles and help yourself. Be careful. There are no utensils, so the goat cheese may get messy.
So, realizing that I was already a little put off by the time I got my wine, you may wish to take this review with a grain of salt.
The first wine we tried was the Banfi Proseco NV. Upon prompting, the server explained that we'd find it dry and crisp - much like a good white wine. We found it to be off-dry, featuring tropical fruit, peach and pear flavors. It matched fairly well with the blue cheese. Carl said it did seem like a sweet white wine that happened to sparkle. I agreed, especially since the bubbles dissipated pretty quickly. Had to be a carbon dioxide shot. But, if you like off-dry sparklers, this is probably the best of the bunch.
Second was the Banfi Lambrusco, which had a gorgeous dark ruby color. It was seriously grapey, almost like a sparkling Welch's would be.
At this point, we observed that actually the whole red wine and chocolate thing is over-rated (probably because the Lambrusco resembled a red wine more than a typical champagne). I have a theory that when you eat a very rich cheese or dessert, it basically coats your tongue with the yummy stuff that makes it so rich (I hate to say it, but "fat"), meaning that you don't properly taste the wine at all. Just a theory - post a comment and tell me what you think!
Lastly, we tasted the Rosa Regale. This is a really popular sparkling wine right now. I see it everywhere, and had tried it before (at Epcot, actually, on New Year's Eve - they serve it in "Italy"). This is a sweet one with a pretty, cherry red color. I will concede that this is a "fun" wine and has its place. It reminds me of a wine called Gamay Rouge by V. Sattui that we fondly refer to as "the bubblegum wine". It's just a fun, outdoors in the summer, cotton candy type of wine that no respectable oenophile would admit to liking, but probably has enjoyed at some point. Of all of these wines, the Rosa Regale was the only one that really complemented the chocolate (and the chocolate, mind you, was phenomenal).
I always like to end on a positive note. Perusing the wine list at Kirby's, I found it very robust and fairly well-priced, with a lot of unusual selections I have not seen in TX before. Possibly worth a try!
The marketing blurb about the event read as follows: "Join National Wine Educator Sharron McCarthy and Kirby's Chef Daniel Nemec as they show participants via taste bud explosion why bubbly and chocolate make the perfect pair."
This did not fully represent the experience we had, which included highlights such as:
- Sign in and get two drink tickets.
- Stand in line to choose between three sparkling wines from the same producer, poured by people with no time or inclination to explain about the wine or winery.
- Walk over to a table of cheese and truffles and help yourself. Be careful. There are no utensils, so the goat cheese may get messy.
So, realizing that I was already a little put off by the time I got my wine, you may wish to take this review with a grain of salt.
The first wine we tried was the Banfi Proseco NV. Upon prompting, the server explained that we'd find it dry and crisp - much like a good white wine. We found it to be off-dry, featuring tropical fruit, peach and pear flavors. It matched fairly well with the blue cheese. Carl said it did seem like a sweet white wine that happened to sparkle. I agreed, especially since the bubbles dissipated pretty quickly. Had to be a carbon dioxide shot. But, if you like off-dry sparklers, this is probably the best of the bunch.
Second was the Banfi Lambrusco, which had a gorgeous dark ruby color. It was seriously grapey, almost like a sparkling Welch's would be.
At this point, we observed that actually the whole red wine and chocolate thing is over-rated (probably because the Lambrusco resembled a red wine more than a typical champagne). I have a theory that when you eat a very rich cheese or dessert, it basically coats your tongue with the yummy stuff that makes it so rich (I hate to say it, but "fat"), meaning that you don't properly taste the wine at all. Just a theory - post a comment and tell me what you think!
Lastly, we tasted the Rosa Regale. This is a really popular sparkling wine right now. I see it everywhere, and had tried it before (at Epcot, actually, on New Year's Eve - they serve it in "Italy"). This is a sweet one with a pretty, cherry red color. I will concede that this is a "fun" wine and has its place. It reminds me of a wine called Gamay Rouge by V. Sattui that we fondly refer to as "the bubblegum wine". It's just a fun, outdoors in the summer, cotton candy type of wine that no respectable oenophile would admit to liking, but probably has enjoyed at some point. Of all of these wines, the Rosa Regale was the only one that really complemented the chocolate (and the chocolate, mind you, was phenomenal).
I always like to end on a positive note. Perusing the wine list at Kirby's, I found it very robust and fairly well-priced, with a lot of unusual selections I have not seen in TX before. Possibly worth a try!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Clos Pegase Mitsuko's VIneyard Circle Reserve Chardonnay - 1998
I just love Copper River Salmon season. If I do say so myself, I prepared an amazing meal last night, featuring salmon with a dill cream sauce topped with crab. We paired it with the Clos Pegase Mitsuko's Vineyard Circle Reserve Chardonnay from 1998. Now, I am always a fan of this wine, but this one has been sitting around a little longer than I generally keep a Chard.
It doesn't seem to have been harmed much, if at all, by the long wait. I wasn't very optimistic at first. The color was a darker gold than I prefer to see. And on the first sip, it did seem to have lost too much of the fruit that made it charming when it was younger and seemed like it had become too oak-dominated. With the second sip, though, I started to notice other flavors that balanced out the oak very nicely; cream, butterscotch, and maybe a hint of a peachy flavor.
Definitely not your floral, fruity version of a Chardonnay, but very, very good. I wish I had more to enjoy!
It doesn't seem to have been harmed much, if at all, by the long wait. I wasn't very optimistic at first. The color was a darker gold than I prefer to see. And on the first sip, it did seem to have lost too much of the fruit that made it charming when it was younger and seemed like it had become too oak-dominated. With the second sip, though, I started to notice other flavors that balanced out the oak very nicely; cream, butterscotch, and maybe a hint of a peachy flavor.
Definitely not your floral, fruity version of a Chardonnay, but very, very good. I wish I had more to enjoy!
Monday, June 19, 2006
1995 RustRidge Cabernet - not at all "rusty"
Wow, this weekend we had a great wine experience. Popped a steak on the grill and pulled out a dusty cabernet from a long-ago trip to Napa.
RustRidge is an interesting winery/bed and breakfast/ranch located in Chiles Canyon not terribly far from Napa. We found them at a ZAP silent auction when I bid on a dinner package at the winery. Frankly, I'd never heard of RustRidge, but it was a good price and I do love to bid... so the rest is history!
We took a pair of friends and spent the weekend at the B&B. Susan, the proprietor, made us an amazing dinner paired with RustRidge wines. Add to an incredible culinary experience some stables of race horses and the earthy, practical nature of the owners, stable hands and other staff, and we were in love. We had the rare opportunity to take a ride on a couple of the horses (I understand this is no longer allowed), who were retired racers and some of the most responsive horses I've had the pleasure of riding.
Don't get me wrong - RustRidge B&B isn't for everyone. It's rustic. When we drove up, we had our doubts. But wow, what a diamond in the rough.
Which brings me to Saturday's dinner. Steak, and a '95 RustRidge Cabernet. This wine was good young, so I was a little worried we had waited too long. A beautiful, dark purplish color was a good sign. Swirled, inhaled - and got a noseful of candied cherry that I didn't want to stop smelling. So far so good... and we weren't disappointed when we tasted. Tangy cherry flavor and a hint of spiciness complemented the still evident American oak. Not really very acidic at all. Would be delicious on its own but was also great with our steak spiced with Prudhomme's Meat Magic.
Another win for the wine closet. Makes me wonder if we will ever spring for an expensive wine fridge.
RustRidge is an interesting winery/bed and breakfast/ranch located in Chiles Canyon not terribly far from Napa. We found them at a ZAP silent auction when I bid on a dinner package at the winery. Frankly, I'd never heard of RustRidge, but it was a good price and I do love to bid... so the rest is history!
We took a pair of friends and spent the weekend at the B&B. Susan, the proprietor, made us an amazing dinner paired with RustRidge wines. Add to an incredible culinary experience some stables of race horses and the earthy, practical nature of the owners, stable hands and other staff, and we were in love. We had the rare opportunity to take a ride on a couple of the horses (I understand this is no longer allowed), who were retired racers and some of the most responsive horses I've had the pleasure of riding.
Don't get me wrong - RustRidge B&B isn't for everyone. It's rustic. When we drove up, we had our doubts. But wow, what a diamond in the rough.
Which brings me to Saturday's dinner. Steak, and a '95 RustRidge Cabernet. This wine was good young, so I was a little worried we had waited too long. A beautiful, dark purplish color was a good sign. Swirled, inhaled - and got a noseful of candied cherry that I didn't want to stop smelling. So far so good... and we weren't disappointed when we tasted. Tangy cherry flavor and a hint of spiciness complemented the still evident American oak. Not really very acidic at all. Would be delicious on its own but was also great with our steak spiced with Prudhomme's Meat Magic.
Another win for the wine closet. Makes me wonder if we will ever spring for an expensive wine fridge.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Pleasant Surprise in a '95 Zin
We just shared a wonderful bottle of 1995 Larkmead Zinfandel from Frank-Rombauer winery.
The day we bought this bottle, I felt as if I were in an old movie. We went to the tasting room of Hans Kornell cellars, a maker of sparkling wine (by the way, a favorite of Marilyn Monroe - you can see a bottle of Kornell on the yacht in "Some Like it Hot"). We fell in love with several of their sparkling wines and spent way too much money for what we were making at the time. They could see we were in a buying mood, I guess, and they gave us a long look and asked if we liked red wine. What's that question about what bears do in the woods?
Anyway, we found ourselves in the back room of the winery tasting some still wines. The Larkmead wines didn't even have labels on them yet (and, it turns out, wouldn't for some time, due to a legal dispute). They were also pouring some Rombauer wines, as the two are in some way connected. We purchased some of this '95 Zin, a '95 Sangiovese (our first American Sangiovese), and tried to buy some of the Rombauer Cab. At that point, Dennis, the manager, cut us off. He had seen our 1988 Oldsmobile in the parking lot, I can only guess, and told us that "we didn't really need that wine." Good call, Dennis. It took several months to pay off the Visa after that adventure.
The ownership of the winery has changed; both Hans Kornell and Larkmead are now Frank Family Vineyard. So far, it looks like the winemaking hasn't changed, but I still cherish the old bottles.
The wine is amazing and has held up well. It is very dark and rich, with a slightly musty aroma. It's dominated by dark fruit - cherry and berries - and hasn't lost its depth and structure with time. The only thing that seems to have suffered is the bouquet. Perhaps the bottle was corked, because the nose just seemed "off."
Served it with spaghetti and hot italian sausage - yum! Great night.
The day we bought this bottle, I felt as if I were in an old movie. We went to the tasting room of Hans Kornell cellars, a maker of sparkling wine (by the way, a favorite of Marilyn Monroe - you can see a bottle of Kornell on the yacht in "Some Like it Hot"). We fell in love with several of their sparkling wines and spent way too much money for what we were making at the time. They could see we were in a buying mood, I guess, and they gave us a long look and asked if we liked red wine. What's that question about what bears do in the woods?
Anyway, we found ourselves in the back room of the winery tasting some still wines. The Larkmead wines didn't even have labels on them yet (and, it turns out, wouldn't for some time, due to a legal dispute). They were also pouring some Rombauer wines, as the two are in some way connected. We purchased some of this '95 Zin, a '95 Sangiovese (our first American Sangiovese), and tried to buy some of the Rombauer Cab. At that point, Dennis, the manager, cut us off. He had seen our 1988 Oldsmobile in the parking lot, I can only guess, and told us that "we didn't really need that wine." Good call, Dennis. It took several months to pay off the Visa after that adventure.
The ownership of the winery has changed; both Hans Kornell and Larkmead are now Frank Family Vineyard. So far, it looks like the winemaking hasn't changed, but I still cherish the old bottles.
The wine is amazing and has held up well. It is very dark and rich, with a slightly musty aroma. It's dominated by dark fruit - cherry and berries - and hasn't lost its depth and structure with time. The only thing that seems to have suffered is the bouquet. Perhaps the bottle was corked, because the nose just seemed "off."
Served it with spaghetti and hot italian sausage - yum! Great night.
Russian River Pinot Noir in Sweden
Last week I had the unlikely pleasure of dining at an amazing restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden called FiskeKrogen (http://www.fiskekrogen.se/start_engelsk.html) on the recommendation of my husband's uncle, a local.
While the food was all incredible (small plates of very artistically arranged delicacies), one of the biggest surprises was the recommendation of the sommelier of a Russian River Pinot Noir to go with our halibut (I can never refrain from the "just for the halibut" joke...).
The wine, a 2002 Marimar Estate Pinot Noir, was a real find on a European wine list. I expressed my surprise that the sommelier would recommend an American wine. "Being American," I said, "I sort of expected to be drinking European wines in Europe." He shrugged and said (flinching only a little) "You make very good wines there." OK, oenophiles, how long did we wait to hear a world-class European sommelier make that comment without a six shooter pointed at his/her favorite Bordeaux?
As an aside, I checked, and that Pinot is available for purchase online at http://www.marimarestate.com/. Only 4492 cases produced. It was delicious, dark and full-bodied, but not too heavy to go with a light fish such as halibut with a fairly delicate lobster sauce.
I would highly recommend the restaurant. The food genre reminded me quite a bit of the French Laundry in Yountville, CA. The atmosphere was eclectic. The white table cloths and elegant service would be appropriate for a special occasion, but I also felt comfortable wearing jeans.
While the food was all incredible (small plates of very artistically arranged delicacies), one of the biggest surprises was the recommendation of the sommelier of a Russian River Pinot Noir to go with our halibut (I can never refrain from the "just for the halibut" joke...).
The wine, a 2002 Marimar Estate Pinot Noir, was a real find on a European wine list. I expressed my surprise that the sommelier would recommend an American wine. "Being American," I said, "I sort of expected to be drinking European wines in Europe." He shrugged and said (flinching only a little) "You make very good wines there." OK, oenophiles, how long did we wait to hear a world-class European sommelier make that comment without a six shooter pointed at his/her favorite Bordeaux?
As an aside, I checked, and that Pinot is available for purchase online at http://www.marimarestate.com/. Only 4492 cases produced. It was delicious, dark and full-bodied, but not too heavy to go with a light fish such as halibut with a fairly delicate lobster sauce.
I would highly recommend the restaurant. The food genre reminded me quite a bit of the French Laundry in Yountville, CA. The atmosphere was eclectic. The white table cloths and elegant service would be appropriate for a special occasion, but I also felt comfortable wearing jeans.
Welcome to The Wino Files
Why a wine blog? There are some obvious, respectable reasons... I can use this as a way to share wonderful memories with my friends, to let others know about some great wines out there, to answer some of the questions my friends ask me about wine (the Wino File's prior incarnation was a phone hotline, straight to my cell phone). All of those things are true.
But the sad truth is that I have less short-term memory than my cat. This pre-dates my drinking days, by the way, so please don't blame the wine industry. I don't want to be the impetus for the next wave of product liability lawsuits.
I sometimes refer to my memory as the 3-minute, re-windable tape (with apologies to readers who are too young to remember cassette tapes). As an aside, I am somewhat horrified that people who don't remember cassette tapes can now legally drink, but I've done the math, and it's true.
Anyway, the 3-minute re-windable tape theory mandates that if I want to remember something, I'd be wise to write it down. So this is my log-book, as much as anything, of my experiences in the world of wine. I look forward to sharing them with you.
But the sad truth is that I have less short-term memory than my cat. This pre-dates my drinking days, by the way, so please don't blame the wine industry. I don't want to be the impetus for the next wave of product liability lawsuits.
I sometimes refer to my memory as the 3-minute, re-windable tape (with apologies to readers who are too young to remember cassette tapes). As an aside, I am somewhat horrified that people who don't remember cassette tapes can now legally drink, but I've done the math, and it's true.
Anyway, the 3-minute re-windable tape theory mandates that if I want to remember something, I'd be wise to write it down. So this is my log-book, as much as anything, of my experiences in the world of wine. I look forward to sharing them with you.
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